Talk to anyone for a couple minutes about what they are passionate about, and it becomes clear we all can learn from each other. Yet sometimes it seems as if Emory truly lacks the institutions for this uncommon intellectual exchange of ideas. That’s why, as Speaker of the Student Government Association (SGA) Legislature, one of my long-standing goals has been to work toward the creation of an Experimental College that would provide a forum for teaching unconventional skills, applying scholarship to popular culture and exploring diverse subject matter — without worries about requirements, grades or huge time commitments.

The courses offered at Emory University are a testament to the intellectual diversity and curiosity of our faculty. Emory offers courses not only in classic topics like economics, history and philosophy but also dance, creative writing and linguistics. But while Emory’s Institute for the Liberal Arts has proved a powerful forum for interdisciplinary studies, some of our peers have offered programs with a distinctly different focus.

These other institutions aim to teach courses typically thought of as less scholarly and somewhat off the beaten path. These schools — including Oberlin College, Tufts University, Macalester College and the University of California at Davis — created these forums as early as the 1960s and called them experimental colleges. The programs began either as administrative initiatives or housed within student government. They allow professors — along with students and members of the Emory University community as a whole — to teach courses in subject matter that they love and study despite the material’s low priority or perception as not scholarly.

Examples of these subjects abound. The following examples have come from preliminary discussions with Emory faculty: A Middle Eastern studies professor with a love for cooking and Middle Eastern food might want to teach a survey-cooking course of the different foods of Arabia; a linguistics professor who enjoys “Survivor” might want to watch the show with a class as a case study in the speech dynamics and development of jargon; an English professor might be fascinated with Elvis Presley and want to teach a course in his music.

Even if a professor wanted to teach this subject matter of her own volition, there is no existing structure for her to advertise it.

Next semester, the Experimental College will provide these opportunities. Our version of the Experimental College will be unique. It is a student government-based, grassroots initiative that has support from various quarters of the university. It will be completely cost-free, volunteer-based and community-oriented. Idealistic and optimistic in its goals and scope, it is a bold step forward for the Emory community.

At the beginning of November, the Student Government Association Experimental College Committee will begin accepting course proposals from any and every Emory student. We will be looking for not only different subject matter but also different ways of presenting material. Emory needs more hands-on learning, outside of the conventional classroom setting. Essentially, we need intramural academics.

After Thanksgiving break, the SGA will publish the Experimental College course atlas. Classes will be free for all Emory students, and the Student Government Association will handle enrollment and all other logistics. The program will come at no cost to Emory students — but will increase the value of their experience and degrees by establishing a unique way to learn more from community members.

The Experimental College fits into a larger initiative of the Student Government Association to foster community at Emory. It breaks down barriers of traditional education and brings people from various, diverse backgrounds together to exchange ideas. It has the potential to attract positive attention to Emory as a community where, even in tough economic times, we do not cut back on progress.

I am looking forward to working with all who are interested in the goals of the Experimental College to make the program a lasting success. Like the university itself, the Experimental College will be inquiry-driven and ethically engaged — just with less constraints.

Adam McCall is a College sophomore from Acton, Mass. He is the speaker of the Student Government Association.